QuoteProject
His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone as punctilious as himself the correspondence ended only with death.
Evelyn Waugh
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the extreme politeness and formality in social interactions, particularly regarding gratitude.

Evelyn Waugh's quote illustrates a character whose obsession with polite correspondence makes him overly meticulous. This extravagant courtesy not only demonstrates his adherence to social norms but also points to the unending nature of such formalities, suggesting that relationships defined by strict etiquette may lack genuine warmth and connection.

Themes

CourtesyPolitenessGratitudeRelationshipsEtiquette

In practice

Example use cases

In a wedding speech, to emphasize the importance of acknowledging gifts and kindness.

More from Evelyn Waugh

After all, damn it, what does being in love mean if you can't trust a person.
Evelyn WaughRead
It is a curious thing... that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste.
Evelyn WaughRead
There are no poetic ideas; only poetic utterances.
Evelyn WaughRead
Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
Evelyn WaughRead
...she had regained what I thought she had lost forever, the magical sadness which had drawn me to her, the thwarted look that had seemed to say, "Surely I was made for some other purpose than this?
Evelyn WaughRead
That was the change in her from ten years ago; that, indeed, was her reward, this haunting, magical sadness which spoke straight to the heart and struck silence; it was the completion of her beauty.
Evelyn WaughRead

Similar quotes

What editors are obliged to appear to say that men want from women is actually what their advertisers want from women.
Naomi WolfRead
In the photograph by my bed my mother is perpetually smiling on me. I guess I have forgiven us both, although sometimes in the night my dreams will take me back to the sadness, and I have to wake up and forgive us again.
Sue Monk KiddRead
Harsh words live in the dungeon of the heart
Norman MailerRead
Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'.
Harper LeeRead
There is, inside all our heads, the ego’s rabid attack dog. It is purely vicious toward others and toward ourselves as well. Learning to control that dog, and ultimately to end its life, is the process and purpose of enlightened relationships.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
We might have to broaden our scope of how we think about where women are vulnerable, because different things make different women vulnerable.
Kimberle Williams CrenshawRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.